The World Day for the Protection of Personal Data, celebrated every year on January 28, is an opportunity to draw attention to this extremely important issue. The initiative was launched by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers in 2006, and its main goal is to educate and raise public awareness about the importance of responsible personal data management.
Personal data is information that identifies a specific individual. This can be such basic data as name, PESEL number or home address, but also more sensitive information such as biometric, health or financial data. Protecting this data is crucial for several reasons:
✔️ individual security – Personal data can be used for criminal purposes, such as identity theft or financial fraud.
✔️Prawa Individual – The right to privacy is a fundamental human right, guaranteed by international law such as the European Convention on Human Rights.
✔️ Trust – For companies and institutions, protecting the personal data of their customers or colleagues is a key element in building long-term relationships based on trust.
Data protection in a digital world
The development of digital technologies and the mass processing of personal data by devices and services have made data protection a universal challenge. Social media, mobile applications or cloud services often collect huge amounts of information about their users. In this context, it is extremely important to comply with regulations such as RODO (the Personal Data Protection Regulation) in effect within the European Union.
What can we do to protect our data?
Each of us can contribute to better protection of personal data by following a few simple rules:
✔️ Strong passwords – Using unique passwords (not used by other services) and using multi-component authentication.
✔️Ostrożność online – Avoid sharing personal information on untrusted websites. Minimizing the data shared – sharing information only to the extent necessary for the service, and considering where possible the use of one-time generated data
✔️Aktualizacja software – Regularly update applications, operating systems, firwmare to minimize the risk of exploiting security vulnerabilities.
✔️ Reserving your PESEL number – Taking advantage of the opportunity to reserve your PESEL number, making it more difficult for potential scammers to use it to enter into unauthorized contracts or scams.
✔️ Careful reading of contracts and terms and conditions – Always check carefully what data is being processed and for what purpose by the companies you work with. Avoid accepting terms and conditions that do not provide sufficient protection.
✔️ Regular monitoring of operations carried out – It’s a good idea to regularly check the history in the services you have like: bank account balances, logins and activity on social networks, email services, etc., to quickly catch suspicious transactions or activities.
✔️Understanding one’s rights – Knowing one’s rights regarding personal data, such as the right to correct, delete or transfer it.
The role of companies and institutions
Companies and organizations, as data controllers, have an obligation to provide adequate measures to protect personal data. This includes:
- Implementing appropriate policies and procedures, including, but not limited to, managing data processing consents.
- Conducting an analysis of the risks associated with data processing.
- Minimizing the scope of processed data categories and organizing processes in accordance with the “privacy by design” principle.
- Applying security measures adequate to the threat landscape.
- Regular training of employees on adopted procedures and changing conditions.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of adopted security measures, monitoring and responding to potential violations.
Summary
World Data Protection Day is a reminder that data protection is a shared responsibility. In the digital age, each of us – as an individual, an employee or an employer – should take conscious measures for data security. Education and awareness in this area are key to protecting our rights and building trust in the digital world.
